Connecting rod end bearing assembly



Dec. 1, 1953 B. w. BARLow ETAL A 661,253

ING ROD END BEARING f ,W W

Dec, l, 1953 B. w. BARLOW ET AL 2,661,253

CONNECTING ROD END BEARING ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 13, 1949 2 sheets-sheet 2 Wmv/aff Allorneys Patented Dec. 1, 1953 CONNECTING ROD END BEARING ASSEMBLY Benjamin William Barlow, Wembley, and Alfred Edward Barnes, Greenford, England, assignors to D. Napier & Son Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain Y Application January 13, 1949, Serial No. 70,692

Claims priority, application Great Britain January 28, 1948 1 Claim.

This invention relates to connecting rods for internal combustion engines of the opposed piston type and has for its object to simplify the connection between a pair of connecting rods and a common crank pin on which they act.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved connecting rod and bearing assembly.

According to the present invention a connecting rod and crank pin assembly for an internal combustion engine of the opposed piston type comprises in combination two connecting rods both bearing on the same circumferential surface of a common crank pin, each rod having a forked end extending over an arc of the crank pin surface which subtends an angle which is less than 180 by an amount at least sufcient to permit the necessary angular movement between the connecting rods about the axis of the crank pin as the crankshaft rotates without the extremities of the forked end of one connecting rod coming into contact with the corresponding extremities of the forked end of the other connecting rod, a concave recess extending in the axial direction right across each of the forked ends, abutments extending in the axial direction at each end of each recess, and a thin walled curved strip of bearing metal in each of said recesses, said strips being so dimensioned as to constitute a force t between said abutments.

The invention is more particularly, although not exclusively, applicable to supercharged internal combustion engines working on the twostroke cycle in which in normal running there is at all times a gas pressure on the piston tending to maintain the bearing surfaces of the connecting rods in contact with the common crank pin, but even in such engines this condition will not necessarily always be fulfilled, for instance when the engine is being motored to start it, or at high engine speeds when comparatively large forces are necessary to decelerate the pistons at the end of their outstrokes. To provide for the occasions when the gas pressure alone is insufficient to maintain the connecting rods in contact with the crank pin, therefore, a capping piece is conveniently provided which is connected to the arms of the forked end of one connecting rod and which embraces an external arcuate bearing surace on the forked end of the other connecting rod so as to hold both connecting rods in contact with the crank pin while permitting relative angular movement between them about the axis of the crank pin.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways but one particular construction of connecting rod and crank pin assembly for a supercharged two-stroke compression ignition internal combustion engine of the opposed piston type will be describedby Way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a section of a crank pin and the adjacent parts of the connecting rods which engage it taken in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the crank pin, and

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line II-II of Figure 1.

The connecting rod and crank pin assembly shown in the drawings `comprise a hollow crank pin I0 which is engaged on one side by a connecting rod II, hereinafter termed the left hand connecting rod, and on theother side by a connecting rod I2, hereinafter termed the right hand connecting rod. 1

The left hand connecting rod II has a forked end comprising two arms I3 and I4 between which is a thin walled arcuate bearing strip I5. The right hand connecting rod I2 is provided with a forked end comprising two arms I6 and I'I and an arcuate bearing strip I8. The bearing strips I5 and I8 are a press t in corresponding recesses in the ends of the connecting rods, as described and claimed in United States patent application of Henry C. Tryon, Serial No. 70,691, filed January 13, 1949, now Patent No. 2,639,955, dated May 26, 1953.

The bearing strips I5 and I8 each subtend an angle of rather less than while the extremities of the forked ends of the connecting rods each subtend an angle of rather less than It will be seen from the drawing that relative angular movement of the connecting rods about the axis of the crank pin can take place through an angle of a little more than 60 without danger of the extremities of the arms I3 and I4 of the left hand connecting rod II coming into contact with the extremities of the arms I6 and I'I respectively of the right hand connecting rod I2.

In order to ensure that the connecting rods II and I2 remain in contact with the crank pin I 0, the left hand connecting rod I I is provided at each side with a pair of bosses I9 and 20 through which pass bolts 2| and 22 which hold in place a pair of capping pieces 23 and 24. These capping pieces each embrace an external arcuate bearing surface 25 or 26 on the forked end of the right hand connecting rod I2 so as to hold both connecting rods II and I2 in contact with the crank pin I 0 while permitting rela- 3 tive angular movement between them about the axis of the crank pin. The bearing surfaces 25, 26 or the corresponding surfaces of the capping pieces may or may not be provided, either by deposition or otherwise, With a coating of a bearing metal that is to say a metal selected for its suitability as a bearing metal when used in conjunction with the metal of the connecting rods.

Lubrication of the connecting rod and crank pin assembly is effected as follows. Oil under pressure is pumped into the hollow core 21 of the crank pin I and out through a passage 28. As the crank pin rotates oil passes from the passage 28 into grooves 29 and 30 in the bearing strips I and I8 and lubricates the contact surfaces of the crank pin and bearings. Some of the oil passes out through oil holes 3| and 32 into arcuate oil ways 33 and 34 in the forked ends of the connecting rods Il and I2 respectively. Bores 35 and 36 passing up the centres of the connecting rods communicate with these oil Ways and permit the oil to pass to the pistons. The capping pieces 23 and 24 and the arcuate bearing surfaces 25 and 2B which they engage are lubricated through an axial extension 31 from the oil way 34 of the right hand connecting rod l2 and through passages 38 and 39 which pass from this extension through the forked end of the connecting rod l2 to the annular bearing surfaces 25 and 26.

It will be appreciated that the various angles subtended by the parts of the connecting rod and crank pin assembly which have been specied above are given by way of example only, and will in fact be determined by the design details of the engine, for instance the length of the stroke, the crank throw and the length of each connecting rod.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A connecting rod end bearing assembly for a crank pin bearing providing a circumferential bearing surface of less than of the type utilizing a` thin antifriction liner, said assembly comprising a forked connecting rod end having a concave end face or liner recess extending in the axial direction and adapted to be concentric with the crank pin axis when assembled thereon, abutments extending in the axial direction at each circumferential end of said recess, said abutments being spaced less than 180 apart, a circumferential oil groove in said concave end face extending nearly from one abutment to the other, and a thin walled curved strip of bearing metal in said recess with a row of perforations adapted to pass lubricant in register with said groove and its ends in contact With the inner faces of said abutments, the contacting ends of said strips and abutments being substantially radial and engaged by force fit to retain said strip in said recess.

BENJAMIN WILLIAM BARLOW. ALFRED EDWARD BARNES.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 693,782 Buffum Feb. 18, 1902 736,458 Sturtevant Aug. 18, 1903 840,190 Anderson Jan. l 1907 1,036,337 Redrup Aug, 20, 1912 1,121,904 Doehler Dec. 22, 1914 1,756,095 Nuenfelt Apr. 29, 1930 1,789,714 Short Jan. 20, 1931 1,948,176 Hopkins et al. Feb. 20, 1934 2,343,055 Halford Feb. 29, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 533.564 Great Britain Feb. 17, 1941 368,415 Italy Feb. 15, 1939 

